Tuesday, May 17, 2011

2011 ACBW Day #2: Opa-Opa Brewing Co - Opa-Opa IPA

The IPA was my first and only Opa-Opa offering to date, but I have to say I was pleased. I first had the beer on draught at the Horseshoe Pub at Josh from Lost In the Beer Aisle's Craft Beer Tweet-up in March, and have been on the lookout for it ever since.

The beer pours a nice pale orange hue, often typical of an India Pale Ale. It pours a bountiful, foamy white head, which fades slowly into the liquid. As you might expect of an IPA, the aroma is full of citrus and pine notes, but to my surprise in somewhat of a muted way.

On the other hand, the Opa-Opa IPA flavor is a bit more robust. It has a pleasant mix of pronounced hop character, blended with a nice malt support. It's tastier than the aroma leads you to expect.

This IPA also has a moderate mouth feel. It leaves a nice little aftertaste, which naturally invites you back for another sip!

I give the Opa-Opa IPA a medium drinkability level. While it's not the best IPA I've ever had, it is certainly a great offering from this western Massachusetts brewery and a nice addition to the New England IPA family. It is certainly worth getting if you can find it in your local package store. While I preferred this beer from the tap, it was still enjoyable out of the bottle.

On a side note, the brewery is technically part of the Opa-Opa Steakhouse and Brewery. To me, I can't think of a better combination - red meat and beer! Nevertheless, the restaurant is certainly on my radar as a place to visit when I find myself in the western part of the state. They recently moved the brewing segment to a new brewery in Williamsburgh, MA, and they offer tours Saturdays at 2:30pm.